Adobe partners with Google, Yahoo for improved flash search

Adobe Systems has partnered with Google and Yahoo to improve search results for content within Flash-based rich Internet applications and dynamic content.

To achieve this goal, Adobe has provided both search engines with optimized Adobe Flash Player technology in order to improve the indexing of the Flash file format (SWF).

According to Adobe, although search engines can already index static text and links within SWF files, rich Internet applications and dynamic Web content have been difficult for the engines to index due to their “changing states.”

Using Adobe Flash Player technology, Google has already taken steps to improve its indexing of SWF files, according to a company blog post. When contacted, Google declined to elaborate on the new algorithm beyond the information posted on its blog.

According to Adobe, Yahoo is currently working on implementing the technology. When reached by e-mail, Sean Suchter, VP of Yahoo search technology engineering, said, “Yahoo is committed to supporting webmaster needs with plans to support searchable SWF and is working with Adobe to determine the best possible implementation.”

“Right now, so many advertisers are choosing to use Flash because of the great experience it provides in delivering their brand [and] delivering their message,” said Justin Everett-Church, senior product manager for Adobe Flash Player, when reached by phone today. However, when advertisers used Flash, they had to make “a bit of a tradeoff” in terms of showing up in organic search results, he said.

“With this announcement, what we're talking about is you can deliver all those same great experiences and there's no trade off any more,” Everett-Church said. “You're going to have all your content fully indexed and showing up in the search engine.”

Due to the amount of custom work needed to go into making Adobe's technology work with its search engine partners, the company decided to work with the two primary leaders in search first, Everett-Church said.

Everett-Church said he anticipated future announcements about other partnerships to be forthcoming. “The next step is we want to make SWF searchable everywhere,” he said.